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The Biology and Relative Abundance of Shortjaw Cisco (Coregonus Zenithicus) in Lake Nipigon

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Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Research Document 2013/063 Central and Arctic Region The biology and relative abundance of Shortjaw Cisco (Coregonus zenithicus) in Lake Nipigon T.C. Pratt Fisheries and Oceans Canada 1219 Queen Street East Sault Ste Marie, ON P6A 2E5 November 2013 Foreword This series documents the scientific basis for the evaluation of aquatic resources and ecosystems in Canada. As such, it addresses the issues of the day in the time frames required and the documents it contains are not intended as definitive statements on the subjects addressed but rather as progress reports on ongoing investigations. Research documents are produced in the official language in which they are provided to the Secretariat. Published by: Fisheries and Oceans Canada Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat 200 Kent Street Ottawa ON K1A 0E6 http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/ [email protected] © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2013 ISSN 1919-5044 Correct citation for this publication: Pratt, T.C. 2013. The biology and relative abundance of Shortjaw Cisco (Coregonus zenithicus) in Lake Nipigon. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2013/063. v + 13 p. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... IV RÉSUMÉ ................................................................................................................................... V INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 METHODS ................................................................................................................................. 1 FIELD AND LABORATORY PROCEDURES ......................................................................... 1 DATA ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................... 2 RESULTS .................................................................................................................................. 2 LIFE HISTORY CHARACTERISTICS .................................................................................... 2 HABITAT ................................................................................................................................ 2 THREATS .............................................................................................................................. 3 POPULATION TRENDS ........................................................................................................ 3 DISCUSSION............................................................................................................................. 3 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 5 TABLES AND FIGURES ............................................................................................................ 6 iii ABSTRACT Shortjaw Cisco (Coregonus zenithicus) were originally described in Lake Nipigon in the 1920s, and have been consistently identified in the limited number of subsequent cisco surveys of the lake. With the exception of ecomorphological and genetic research conducted on the cisco community of Lake Nipigon in the late 1990s, little attention has been focused on any cisco species from this lake. DFO Science was charged with conducting a pre-COSEWIC assessment for Shortjaw Cisco, and this manuscript assesses the current: 1) life history characteristics; 2) the characteristics or elements of the species habitat; 3) threats to the species; and 4) population trends with a limited time series for Shortjaw Cisco from Lake Nipigon. The relative abundance of Shortjaw Cisco has declined more than 50% in Lake Nipigon from the 1998-99 through 2008-09 period, and no recent strong year-classes were observed. Mean age of the population is ~12 years, and annual mortality estimates are low (11.7%). The Lake Nipigon Shortjaw Cisco population is dominated by females (sex ratio is 65% female), which appear to have greater longevity than males. Shortjaw Cisco in Lake Nipigon prefer shallower depths (mean depth of capture 30.2 m) than their conspecifics from the Great Lakes. The Shortjaw Cisco population in Lake Nipigon is a Mysis spp. specialist, with the majority of individuals consuming only this prey species. Anthropogenic threats are limited on Lake Nipigon, as only a small fishery is prosecuted on the lake. Observed declines are more likely due to food web changes due to invasive species, or competition with other native fishes. iv Biologie et abondance relative du cisco à mâchoires égales (Coregonus zenithicus) dans le lac Nipigon RÉSUMÉ La présence du cisco à mâchoires égales (Coregonus zenithicus) dans le lac Nipigon a été décrite pour la première fois dans les années 1920 et l'espèce a été régulièrement identifiée à l'occasion des quelques relevés de ciscos effectués par la suite dans ce lac. À l'exception des recherches écomorphologiques et génétiques menées sur la communauté des ciscos du lac Nipigon à la fin des années 1990, on a peu étudié les espèces de ciscos de ce lac. Le Secteur des sciences du MPO a été chargé de réaliser une évaluation du cisco à mâchoires égales préalable à celle du COSEPAC. Le présent manuscrit évalue les éléments suivants : 1) les caractéristiques du cycle biologique; 2) les caractéristiques ou éléments de l'habitat de l'espèce; 3) les menaces qui pèsent sur l'espèce; 4) les tendances de la population, tirées d'une série chronologique limitée pour le cisco à mâchoires égales du lac Nipigon. L'abondance relative du cisco à mâchoires égales a décliné de plus de 50 % dans le lac Nipigon pendant la période comprise entre 1998-1999 et 2008-2009 et on n'a pas observé de classes d'âge récentes importantes. L'âge moyen des populations est d'une douzaine d'années et les estimations de la mortalité annuelle sont faibles (11,7 %). La population de cisco à mâchoires égales du lac Nipigon est composée en majorité de femelles (le sex-ratio est de 65 % de femelles) car la longévité de ces dernières semble supérieure à celle des mâles. Les ciscos à mâchoires égales du lac Nipigon préfèrent des eaux moins profondes (profondeur moyenne de capture : 30,2 m) par rapport à leurs congénères des Grands Lacs. La population du lac Nipigon est spécialisée, la majorité de ses membres se nourrissant uniquement de Mysis spp. Les menaces anthropiques sont limitées dans le lac Nipigon dans la mesure où seule une petite pêche y est pratiquée. Les déclins observés résultent plus vraisemblablement des changements du réseau trophique dus à des espèces envahissantes ou de la compétition d'autres poissons indigènes. v INTRODUCTION Shortjaw Cisco (Coregonus zenithicus) was originally described in Lake Nipigon by Koelz (1929). The existence of a Shortjaw Cisco morph in Lake Nipigon was confirmed by ecomorphological and genetic lines of evidence (Turgeon et al. 1999). Shortjaw Cisco were readily identifiable from other cisco species in Lake Nipigon based on gill-raker and head morphology, and there was partial microsatellite differentiation for Shortjaw Cisco that was not apparent for its congeners (Turgeon et al. 1999). Shortjaw Cisco primarily consumed Mysis and were captured in shallow (10-30 m) depths (Turgeon et al. 1999). No other published research has been conducted on this species in this lake. DFO Science was charged with assisting with a pre-COSEWIC assessment for Shortjaw Cisco. In particular, DFO was asked to review a number of aspects pertaining to the COSEWIC status report. This manuscript addresses a few of those aspects for Shortjaw Cisco from Lake Nipigon, including a review of 1) life history characteristics, 2) the characteristics or elements of the species habitat, and threats to that habitat, and 3) threats to the species. Additionally, 4) population trends with a limited time series are assessed. METHODS FIELD AND LABORATORY PROCEDURES For fisheries management purposes, Lake Nipigon is divided into 16 fisheries management sectors (Figure 1). The fish community was initially assessed by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre in 1998 and 1999 using experimental monofilament gill nets. The gill nets were composed of nine 15.2 m by 2.4 m panels of graded monofilament gill net, ranging in mesh size from 25 mm to 127 mm in 13 mm increments. Eight sectors were assessed annually in a depth-stratified sampling effort, with 6, 6 and 3 replicates fished at shallow (10–30 m), moderate (30–60 m), and deep (>60 m) depth zones, respectively. Each sector was partitioned into a grid of 100 hectare sampling areas, and net set locations were randomly selected for each depth stratum from the grid of sampling areas. Thus, a total of 240 gill nets (15 nets per zone) were set over the two year sampling effort. This sampling effort was repeated in 2008 and 2009, allowing for an assessment of cisco population dynamics over the intervening decade. Gill nets were deployed on the bottom, and catches were tallied on-board by mesh size. Ciscoes captured in the 1998-99 sampling effort were identified on-board to species based on external morphological characteristics (primarily mouth and fin position, gill-raker characteristics, and colour). In 2008-09, ciscoes were still identified on-board, but all collected ciscoes were frozen after identification for later processing for life
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